Professor Beth Armstrong is a passionate advocate for rural health services and Aboriginal health workforce.
Edith Cowan University (ECU) has appointed Professor Beth Armstrong to the role of Director for University Department of Rural Health (UDRH), in the South West.
UDRH's across Australia boost the rural primary care workforce, in a bid to improve health outcomes in rural and regional communities.
In the 2022 Budget the Commonwealth Government committed to providing over $17 million over four years to establish the Bunbury-based UDRH, to encourage more graduating health professionals to practice in the region.
ECU Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Regional Futures) Professor Cobie Rudd said Professor Armstrong is a passionate advocate for rural health services, research capacity building and increasing the Aboriginal health workforce.
"Having led large clinical speech pathology teams in New South Wales, then undertaking postgraduate study, Beth has been in academic leadership roles now for over 20 years," Professor Rudd said.
"The funding will see the creation of an additional 1300 placement weeks per year and over the next four years, at least 400 more students gaining rural clinical experience in the South West."
Professor Armstrong was involved in the establishment of two Speech Pathology programs and has also led national Speech Pathology curriculum development and accreditation standards related to cultural capabilities required for working with Aboriginal clients and communities. She has led large multidisciplinary WA-based and national NHMRC-funded research projects in the area of brain injury in Aboriginal populations and has an international reputation in the area of aphasia after stroke as well as cross-cultural clinical practice as it relates to Indigenous peoples globally.
"Professor Armstrong brings exceptional clinical, administrative and research experience to this new role and is relocating to Bunbury," Professor Rudd said.
The Bunbury based UDRH will provide training placements across the South West region to undergraduate and postgraduate students in emergency medicine, aged care, mental health, disability, child and family health and other community settings such as primary and secondary schools.
"ECU South West has had tremendous support for this development, including backing from, but not limited to, the University of Western Australia, the South West Aboriginal Medical Service, the 12 Local Government Authorities in the South West Zone Group of Councils and the region's health providers."
"This is a very important initiative that will help address health workforce shortages in our South-West – the fastest growing region in WA,"
"And Beth is exactly the person to lead the charge," she said.
Professor Beth Armstrong commences 1 July 2023.
